40 CHANCES

The eldest son of Warren Buffett recounts his inspiring journey from college dropout to leader in the fight to end world hunger. An insightful and fascinating memoir.

A decade ago, a John Deere sales representative told Howard Buffett something that changed his life: Every farmer has forty chances—forty years, on average—to harvest a perfect crop. Suddenly Howard G. Buffett, oldest son of multibillionaire Warren Buffett and the director of a foundation dedicated to solving global “food insecurity,” realized he only has forty chances to feed the world. In one of the most inspiring, insightful, and challenging books of the year, Forty Chances is the personal story of how Buffett became one of the most important forces behind the science and practice of addressing world hunger.

After leaving college to become a farmer at age twenty, Howard Buffett became fascinated with the land, our relationship to food, and, ultimately, hunger. A leader in the agriculture business, in 2006 he started a foundation dedicated to solving world hunger in forty years, at any cost. With his clear-eyed vision and down-to-earth storytelling, Buffett takes us on a remarkable journey, from his childhood home in Omaha to the remotest villages of Guatemala, from the foodbanks of Decatur, Illinois, to the boardrooms of multi-national agribusiness conglomerates.

Part memoir, part exposé on the realities of fighting global hunger today, Forty Chances is a compelling look at the world of high-stakes philanthropy and the fundamental beliefs and philosophies of the Buffett family. In this startling book, Buffett reveals the true winners and losers in the fight to end poverty. HOWARD G. BUFFETT is the oldest son of Warren Buffett, current director of the Coca-Cola Company, and founder of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. A farmer, businessman, politician, photographer, and philanthropist, Buffett has dedicated his life to wildlife conservation and finding the solution to world hunger. He lives in Decatur, Illinois, and operates a family farm with his son, Howard W. Buffett.